Prisoners Of The Mind
by Gage39
Summary: What if you had a good friend that you would do anything for?  What if you had a good friend who sacrificed himself to save you?  What lengths would you go to do get him back?  What if your friend didn't exist but was merely a glitch...?
1. Prologue: Kidnapped

Prisoners of the Mind: What If?

Prologue: Kidnapped

Question: How many of you have seen 'Inception' and/or 'Source Code'? How many of you liked them? How many of you UNDERSTOOD them? If you answered no to any of the above then I suggest that you read another story. This story will be extremely strange and some parts of it will never be fully understood. Please keep that warning in mind as you are reading this. Thank you and enjoy.

* * *

><p>It was, Optimus Prime decided, very quiet around the base without Bumblebee there to provide some form of noise. Without background noise every day sounds were much louder than normal. Optimus had never realized before just how much noise one minibot could make. Of course he had also never realized just how fond they all were of Bumblebee. Ever since they had learned of Bumblebee's capture at the servos of the Decepticons they had pretty much ignored Optimus; not saying a word but letting their optics do the talking for them. After two days of trying to ignore the incriminating glances he had barricaded himself in his office and refused to come out until the Elite Guard arrived. He felt bad enough about Bumblebee getting captured that he didn't need any help. He had been with the minibot at the time of the capture and he been unfortunate enough not to suffer any injuries. He would have preferred to at least broken an arm or something. It had been very hard to explain to his crew how he had returned with no injuries but Bumblebee was taken. So he took refuge in his office and pondered over to say. How could he tell them that the Decepticons had only wanted Bumblebee? That the minibot himself had immobilized Optimus with his stingers before speeding away, the Decepticons in hot pursuit? How was he supposed to tell them that Bumblebee had sacrificed himself to save Optimus? How was he supposed to live with that knowledge if they never found their yellow-and-black friend? He only prayed that the Elite Guard got there in time to save Bumblebee.<p>

* * *

><p>"No," Sentinel Prime said calmly.<p>

"Why not?" Optimus was practically yelling.

"We don't have the time, energy, or the resources to waste looking for one minibot," Sentinel snapped.

"That minibot was captured by the Decepticons," Optimus retorted.

"You don't know that for a facet. All you know is that the Decepticons were chasing him," Sentinel pointed out.

"Okay," Prowl conceded. "We don't know if the Decepticons captured him or not. But what we do know is the he is missing and been for the past four days. That alone should be reason enough to go searching for him."

"Yeah," Ratchet grunted. "Kinda dangerous leavin the kid by himself for too long."

"He could be hurt or something," Bulkhead chimed in.

There was no mistaking the look of annoyance on Sentinel's faceplate as he said, "We are not going to look for him and if I catch you doing just that you will regret it for the rest of your lives!" He turned and walked out of the base, slamming the door behind.

The four looked at each other then headed for the back entrance, intent on searching for their missing friend. When they opened the door, however, it was see Sentinel standing there, arms crossed. "Did you really think I was stupid enough to leave you bots along? I figured you would try something like this. Come on, back inside," he ordered.

Reluctantly they turned around and headed back to the living room. They sat down on the couch, except for Bulkhead who used his shoulder guards and Optimus who remained standing. "Why can't we go look for Bumblebee, Sentinel? Please, we just want to know."

Sentinel looked down at the floor then straight at Optimus and said, "Because Bumblebee's not real; none of this is."

A/N: 3 reviews.

A/N/N: Sorry so short.

A/N/N/N: Another chapter of 'Masterforce: Animated' will be up tomorrow.


	2. Simulation Chamber

Prisoners of the Mind: What If?

Chapter 1: Simulation Chamber

After staring at Sentinel for a second the others broke out laughing. "That's a good joke," Optimus managed to get out. "Now tell us the real reason why we can't go looking for him."

"No I'm afraid it wasn't a joke," Sentinel said.

"Sure it was," Optimus's smile disappeared when he saw the serious look on Sentinel's faceplate. "Wasn't it?"

"No I'm afraid no," Sentinel said solemnly as he shook his head.

"But how could all four of us imagine the same thing?" Ratchet wondered.

Sentinel opened his mouth and began to explain. "The four of you were space bridge technicians. One day while you were working there was an unfortunate accident all of you were badly injured. You were successfully repaired, however, and we thought you were fine."

"But…" Prowl raised an optic ridge.

"But then you began to act…strange. You started talking about events that had never happened, bots that never existed. After doing a little experimentation we finally decided that something went wrong when you were being repaired. It was also determined that one of our scientists named Wheeljack did something, we're still not sure what exactly, that made you, well, crazy."

"If we're crazy then why does this place look like Earth?" Bulkhead wanted to know.

"I have no idea what Earth looks like," Sentinel confessed. "Based on your descriptions we created this simulation chamber which makes it seem as if you were really on Earth. Your processors created Bumblebee and the adventures."

"But why did you go to all that trouble?" Prowl asked. "Shouldn't we have been put in an asylum?"

"Normally yes but since Wheeljack refused to tell us what exactly he did to you we decided…" Sentinel's voice trailed off as he shrugged.

"So basically we're lab rats," Ratchet grunted. "Should've figured."

"Unfortunately we haven't been very successful in figuring out what he did," Sentinel sighed. 'Not even Perceptor, who worked with Wheeljack on several occasions, couldn't figure out how to fix you so the Council decided that it was time you were informed of the truth."

"So what's going to happen to us now?" Optimus asked after he and the others had allowed the news to sink in.

"I don't know," Sentinel said truthfully. "More than likely they will try to re-integrate you into society. Either that or they'll write you up as useless and melt you down for spare parts," he added.

"I vote we be re-integrate," Bulkhead's blue optics were wide in alarm.

"Re-integration sounds like a wonderful idea," Prowl said while his companions nodded in agreement.

"I'll leave you to think things over," Sentinel moved to the door. Hesitating, he turned from the now open door and asked, "Would you like me to leave the simulation on or turn it off?"

After exchanging glances with the others Optimus said quietly, "On, please."

Sentinel nodded then left the room, closing the door behind him; leaving four troubled bots to think about things.

* * *

><p>After exiting the simulation chamber Sentinel went straight to the viewing room. "How was that?" he asked as he walked over to the monitors.<p>

"You laid it on pretty thick," the yellow-and-black bot observed, not looking at Sentinel as he spoke.

"Was it too much?"

"Would it bother you if it was?"

After thinking for a few seconds Sentinel shook his head. "No," he said. "It wouldn't bother me in the least."

A small smile appeared on the gray faceplate next to him. "I didn't think that it would." The next few minutes were spent in silence except for the datapad beeping occasionally as new information was entered into it. "Do we have to do this?"

Not the least bit surprised by the question for he had been expecting it ever since his initial announcement Sentinel said, "Yes."

"But why? I mean, I know why but why them?"

"Because they're the only volunteers that we have," Sentinel reminded him.

"But we have bots that are programmed to do it," the other bot argued.

"None that we can afford to lose. They," Sentinel tapped the monitor showing what was going on in the simulation chamber, "are expendable; the others, while they are expendable as well, are needed for now."

"So are they. The experimentations aren't complete yet. They're the only ones who've survived with their processors still intact."

"As I recall you survived with your processor still intact."

Throwing Sentinel an annoyed look he said, "They're not ready for this, Sentinel. They need more training."

"Maybe that's so but we don't have time. We need to rescue Ultra Magnus and they're the only ones who know how to battle the Decepticons."

A reluctant sigh then, "I guess you're right."

"You're not going soft on me now are you?" while the words were teasing the tone was not.

"No of course not. I just don't want to lose all of that research. I spent years working on them."

"You mean Wheeljack spent years working on them," Sentinel corrected.

"Perhaps but I perfected them."

"True." Sentinel made as if to leave but stopped at the door. "Don't get too attached to them; more than likely they won't live through this and even if they do they're going back in."

"Don't worry; I won't."

"You better not," Sentinel warned then left.

"It's a little too late for that," the minibot muttered then resumed watching the monitors.

A/N: 3 reviews.

A/N/N: Sorry this chapter's so short but I'm having a little trouble finding my muse right now (it moved on to a different story) so until I find it I'm afraid my writing's going to be a little strained. I will still post one chapter per story a day.

A/N/N/N: New poll on my profile page. Check it out and vote for the two stories that you like the most. Synopsis on my profile and, if you're reading this story, be a little careful when reading the synopsis for the second 'Prisoners of the Mind' story.


	3. Real World

Prisoners of the Mind

Chapter 2: Real World

"I can't believe it," Prowl said. "I just can't."

"Me neither," Bulkhead propped his cranial unit on his massive servos.

"How could all of us experience the same adventures? It's just not possible," Ratchet said.

"But Sentinel said…" Optimus began to protest.

"He's a glitch head," the medic declared. "How do we know that he's not lying to us and what he told us isn't real?"

"I guess we don't," the red-and-blue bot admitted. "But why would he? What could he possibly hope to gain?"

"I'm not exactly sure but it must be something pretty big," Ratchet answered.

"Like what?" Bulkhead asked.

"How show I know?" Ratchet snapped. "I ain't a mind-reader; I'm a medic."

"Sorry," Bulkhead apologized then fell silent.

"Well if Sentinel does have an ulterior motive how are we supposed to find out what it is?" Prowl asked.

"See if you can find any inconsistencies with his story," Optimus answered. "Also if he tells us there are any rooms that we can't go in, keep track of where they are."

"Sure thing, boss-bot!" Bulkhead sounded slightly more cheerful than he had earlier.

The door opened and Sentinel walked in. "How are you bots doing?"

"Better than we were earlier," Optimus said.

"That's good," Sentinel said with a nod. An awkward silence fell between them. There's no telling how long the silence could have lasted until Sentinel broke it. "Would you bots like to see the real Cybertron?" he asked.

"Sure," Optimus said after a quick look at his friends.

"All right. Now I'm going to leave then they'll wake you up." He turned and left.

"What do you mean 'wake us up'?" Optimus called but received no answer.

"I told you," Ratchet grumbled. "Now we're all gonna be off lined."

Suddenly Optimus felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck and then everything went black. When his optics came back online the first thing he saw was gray. He blinked and realized that he was looking at a ceiling. One which was most certainly NOT the ceiling he had been looking at just a few minutes ago. He sat up and looked around, feeling relief wash over him when he saw his friends sitting up as well. There wasn't much in the room; a console sat in the middle of the room surrounded by four berths, one on each side with an Autobot sitting on each one. If this was what Cybertron looked like then he would have preferred to stay in the simulation chamber.

A door, one that Optimus hadn't noticed before, opened and Sentinel stood in the doorway. "Come on," he said. "Let me show you around."

The four Autobots stood up and followed the blue-and-orange bot out of the room. After walking through a room that was packed full with consoles, desks, and several scientists Sentinel led them into another room. This room didn't have much in it either; a lone, red minibot sat in front of a console perusing a datapad. He was so intent on what he was reading that he didn't even notice them standing there until Sentinel cleared his throat. The minibot jumped, dropping his datapad. "Oh it's only you, Sentinel," he sighed in relief as he bent to pick up the datapad.

"And suppose I had been a Decepticon?" Sentinel raised an optic ridge as he crossed his arms and scowled.

"Then you would be dead now?" the red minibot said weakly.

"I doubt it," was all Sentinel said then, "this is Cliffjumper. I'm sure you recognize him."

"Of course," Optimus said. "He was Longarm Prime's secretary."

"Who?" Cliffjumper looked confused. Sentinel gave him a pointed look then Cliffjumper's optics widened when the realization of who they were had sunk in. "I mean, Longarm Prime of course!"

"You don't have to pretend, Cliffjumper," Sentinel told him. "They know the truth."

"The truth?" Cliffjmper suddenly looked very worried.

"About the space bridge accident," Sentinel said.

"What acci… Oh that accident! Um, yeah it's very nice to see you bots up and about. We were all very concerned about you. Uh, I have…I have something that I just remembered I have to do. Gotta go!" With that he was gone, a datapad sitting on the console the only sign he had even been there.

"Cliffjumper's been under a lot of stress lately," Sentinel explained. As if he could feel their disbelief he said, "Moving on."

The monitor room was their next stop where they met Inferno and Red Alert who were in charge of the security for the building. Inferno had been polite; saying hello and he was glad that they were finally awake. Red Alert had been less so, almost bordering on rude. He didn't care if they had just woken up from a two year stasis nap; he wanted them out of his monitor room. After apologizing to them for Red Alert's behavior Sentinel took them to the cafeteria as he figured that they were probably a little hungry. They agree and were introduced to Grinder, the mech in charge of fixing odds and ends.

"Can we see Ultra Magnus?" Bulkhead asked.

Sentinel choked mid-swallow, spraying energon all over Ratchet's chassis much to the medic's disgust. "I'm afraid that's not going to be possible," he said after regaining his voice.

"Why not?" Prowl asked.

"He was kidnapped by the Decepticons a few days ago," Sentinel replied.

A/N: 3 reviews.

A/N/N: Sorry it's so short. Gone tomorrow; might not post chapter.

A/N/N/N: Masterforce; Animated might get updated tomorrow but definitely not today.


	4. Ultra Magnus

Prisoners of the Mind

Chapter 3: Ultra Magnus

Decepticons, Ultra Magnus decided, were nowhere near as stupid as everyone made them out to be. the kidnapping had obviously been planned a while ago and had carefully been thought out, judging by how they had known how to disable his weapons first. They had disconnected his optics next, rendering him unable to see. It hadn't been difficult after that for them to overpower him. He had tried to put up a struggle but was quickly restrained b the big Decepticon that they had referred to as Lugnut. Afterwards he was vaguely aware of loud voices and incredibly bumpy ride to…somewhere. Upon the arrival at their destination Ultra Magnus had found himself dropped upon the ground then the familiar sound of someone transforming was heard.

"Be careful," a voice hissed. "Starscream vill not be happy if he is injured; he vants Ultra Magnus online and in good condition."

"Stow it, Blitzwing," Lugnut growled. "I know what Starscream said; I was there too."

"Vell aren't ve grumpy!" Blitzwing sounded as if he were offended. "Ooh sounds like someone got up on the wrong side of the recharge berth!" His voice changed, sounding more like that of a hyperactive sparkling than of a hardened Decepticon warrior.

"I thought I told you imbeciles to bring him to me the second you got back!" a new, rather screechy, voice demanded.

"Ve just got back," Blitzwing's voice suddenly sounded like it had earlier; cold, with just the slightest hint of emotion.

The sound of footsteps drawing close caused Ultra Magnus to tense. When he felt a servo on his cranial until just a hint of fear ran through his frame. Searing pain filled his optics and he let out an involuntary cry. Suddenly he could see…purple. Blinking, he discovered that his optics had been re-connected and that he could now see once again. And almost immediately he wished that he couldn't. standing in front of him were two Decepticons; the ones that he had identified as being Lugnut and Blitzwing, both of whom were looking at him with calm expressions on their faceplates. Starscream stepped out from behind Ultra Magnus and just stood there, scowling.

"What do you want with me?" Ultra Magnus demanded, expecting that the answer would have something to do with taking over the world or destroying the Autobots.

Therefore, he was surprised when Starscream replied, "Nothing. I have only one use for you and once you have fulfilled that you will be free to go."

"What purpose?" the Autobot asked.

A look of sadness passed over Starscream's faceplate and he said, "Leverage." Then he turned and walked away, leaving Blitzwing and Lugnut to guard their prisoner.

Not long after Starscream had left Ultra Magnus found himself once again being moved. While they weren't gentle they weren't exactly rough with him either. It was as if the Decepticons were being careful not to hurt him. It confused Ultra Magnus greatly; since when did the Decepticons care what happened to their prisoners? Of course their treatment of him could be due to the fact that he was "leverage" as Starscream had said. He had to wonder though; just what _had_ Starscream meant by that? Oh well, he had plenty of time to think about it. Maybe by the time Sentinel came to rescue him he would have it figured out.

Instead of the dirty, dingy cell he had imagined the Decepticons placed in a room that was surprisingly clean with a recharge berth, table and two chairs. The push on his back sent him stumbling into the room and once he had regained his footing he turned to face his captors.

"Enjoy your stay," Blitzwing said then burst out laughing as his faceplate…changed. "That is if you live that long," he cackled then slammed the door shut and a few seconds later the control panel outside beeped, indicating that the door was now locked.

Ultra Magnus let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping as he contemplated his predicament. He stood like that for several minutes, not moving. Finally he straightened and, with a renewed sense of determination, began searching for a way out.

Two hours later he was ready to admit defeat. The only way one could get in or out of the room, that he could find anyway, was the door. There was also nothing to do. He hadn't been given any datapads or anything at all. So he lay down on the recharge berth and tried to convince himself that he was exhausted beyond belief. It didn't work.

He had almost drifted into recharge when the door opened. He sat up quickly and felt slightly nervous when he saw Blitzwing standing there. The Decepticon entered the room, a cup of oil in one servo and a cube of energon in the other. "Here is your lunch," he announced, placing the items on the table.

"Thank you," Ultra Magnus said, sounding slightly stunned as he was.

"You're velcome."

Blitzwing turned to go but Ultra Magnus stopped him. "Why are you being so nice to me?" he asked. "From what I've heard you Decepticons are bloodthirsty killers; not the type of bots to give me lunch."

"Don't believe everything you hear," Blitzwing said.

"So why are you…?" Ultra Magnus hesitated, unsure as to how to phrase the question.

Fortunately Blitzwing understood what he was trying to say and answered, "Ve have no desire to harm you. You are of no consequence to us; you have nothing that ve vant."

"Then what do you want with me?" Ultra Magnus asked in exasperation.

"That is not for me to say," Blitzwing said finally. "No more questions," he held up a servo to forestall Ultra Magnus whose mouth was opening. "I must go now." He turned and walked out of the room, leaving behind a very thoughtful Ultra Magnus.

A/N: 3 reviews.

A/N/N: Sorry my chapters have been pretty short lately. I don't exactly have a lot of time to write but you'll be fine.

A/N/N/N: Don't forget to vote!


	5. Ulterior Motive

Prisoners of the Mind

Chapter 4: Ulterior Motive

"What do you mean he's been kidnapped?" Optimus demanded.

"That's exactly what I mean," Sentinel sounded annoyed. "Three days ago Ultra Magnus went missing. Not long after that we received a ransom video from the Decepticons."

"What were their demands?" Prowl asked.

"The release of five Decepticons that we caught a few months ago," Sentinel answered.

"You're not seriously gonna do it…are you?" Bulkhead looked slightly upset but that was only natural.

"We don't really have much of a choice,' Sentinel sighed. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Optimus wanted to know.

"Unless we rescue Ultra Magnus," Ratchet's optics lit up.

"Well yes," Sentinel admitted. "We don't really have much of an army and we certainly don't have any idea how to fight the Decepticons."

"But we on the other servo have been fighting them for the past three years," Prowl realized.

"Once again, yes."

Optimus sighed, feeling the on-set of a processor ache. He happened to glance at Ratchet who had a smug look on his faceplate as if to say 'I told you so.' It was, Optimus decided, going to be a very long day.

* * *

><p>"What are they doing now?" Sentinel asked as he entered the monitor room, having left Optimus and the others in an empty room to figure out what they were going to do.<p>

"The medic's gloating about how he was right about you having an ulterior motive," Inferno answered.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, sir," Inferno said when it became apparent that Red Alert wasn't going to contribute anything to the conversation. Inferno hesitated then blurted out, "Don't you think they should be told the truth, sir?"

'I did tell them the truth," Sentinel replied. "Some of it anyway," he amended then his voice turned cold. "I'm going to ignore your insubordination this time, Inferno, but if you ever question one of my orders again I will make you regret it. Got that?"

"Got it," Inferno stuttered and breathed a sigh of relief when Sentinel left the room. "That was a close one," he gasped. "I thought I was a goner for sure that time."

"I told you not to say anything but did you listen to me? No you didn't. You never do which is why I will live for a very long time while you will be dead in a few years." Red Alert didn't look at Inferno while he was speaking but instead focused his attention on one of the monitors.

"I promise that next time I will listen to you," Inferno declared.

Red Alert burst out laughing and continued to do so for the next several minutes much to Inferno's annoyance. "Yeah right," he finally choked out. "If that ever happens you can have my salary for the next month."

"You're on," Inferno said then resumed watching the monitors.

* * *

><p>"So any bright ideas?" Optimus asked hopefully. Seeing the looks thrown at him by his teammates he sighed and said, "I'll take that as a no."<p>

"Well what do you expect us to do?" Prowl asked. "It's not like we've really been fighting the Decepticons."

"We might not have been fighting them for real but we still have a slight advantage," Optimus argued.

"Yeah an' I'm Ultra Magnus," Ratchet said with just a hint of sarcasm.

"I wish Bumblebee were here," Bulkhead said sadly.

Instantly they all fell silent and exchanged nervous glances. "Bulkhead," Optimus said carefully, "you do know that Bumblebee isn't real, right?"

"Yeah I know," Bulkhead sighed. "It's just; well we spent three years believing that he was real and I guess I'm just having a little trouble adjusting to the fact that he isn't."

"I understand," Optimus said gently, laying a servo on Bulkhead's shoulder struts. "I keep looking for him too."

"Kid was loud but he had a good spark," Ratchet muttered.

"I too must confess that I miss him as well," Prowl admitted. "I keep expecting him to walk through the door and say…"

"Hi, guys. What's up?"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a few doors down the hall, a very annoyed white bot was knocking on a door. "Open up!" he hollered. "I know you're in there!" Silence. "Come on," Jazz begged. "Please. Sentinel's gonna have my cranial unit if you don't open up." More silence. "If you don't open this door in the next five seconds then I'm going to break down the door," Jazz warned. Five seconds later Jazz called, "All right I'm coming in." He pulled out his passkey and waved it in front of the control panel then entered his person access code, praying that he hadn't been locked out of the system or that there weren't any unpleasant…surprises waiting for him. Cautiously he eased opened the door and stepped inside. Once he was in the room Jazz switched on the lights and had opened his mouth to say something when he realized that the room was empty. "Slag," he cursed. "Sentinel's gonna kill me."<p>

A/N: 3 reviews.

A/N/N: Don't forget to vote and check out Transformers: Masterforce.


	6. Visit From A Ghost

Prisoners of the Mind

Chapter 5: Visit From A Ghost

The four Autobots just stared, jaws hanging open; unable to do anything else. Standing there, in the middle of the room, was a very familiar yellow-and-black minibot.

"Well," Bumblebee said rather impatiently, "aren't you bots going to say hello or something like that?"

"You're not real," Optimus finally managed to say.

"Really?" Bumblebee raised an optic ridge. "Oh I didn't know that. Oh well, I guess that means I don't have to stick around then."

He made as if he was going to leave but Bulkhead leapt up shouting, "No! Don't…don't go," he finished lamely.

"Whatever you want," Bumblebee smile. Awkward silence filled the room as they alternated between looking at each other and the floor.

"Are you real?" Prowl asked abruptly.

"Why do you ask that?" was it Optimus's imagination or did Bumblebee suddenly look a little nervous?

"Sentinel said you weren't," Optimus stated.

Bumblebee sniggered then began to laugh uproariously. "You gotta be kidding me! Since when did you ever listen to anything that aft had to say?"

"My thoughts exactly," Ratchet grumbled.

"You didn't answer my question," Prowl observed calmly.

"Of course I'm real. Why wouldn't I be?" There was no doubt in Optimus's processor; Bumblebee was definitely very, very nervous.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that we just got removed from a simulation chamber where we were for the past three years," Optimus crossed his arms and stared at the minibot.

Bumblebee sighed and his shoulders slumped. "No," he said. "I'm not real."

"I knew it," oddly enough Prowl didn't sound triumphant as he normally did.

"So Sentinel was telling the truth," Optimus felt disappointed. He had been hoping and praying that this was all a cruel practical joke either that or a bad dream.

"No."

"But if you're not real then how can he be lying?" Bulkhead looked and sounded confused.

"Well you see I really did exist."

"Did?" Ratchet had apparently picked up on the way that Bumblebee had phrased his sentence.

"I'm dead," Bumblebee said bluntly.

For a few minutes they were all silent, allowing the news to sink in then Prowl said, "That was…unexpected."

"How did you die?" Optimus didn't really want to know but he had to.

"One day while we were on Earth Prowl and I got into another fight…"

* * *

><p>"<em>Am not!" Bumblebee shouted.<em>

"_Are too!" Prowl yelled._

"_Am not!"_

"_Are too!"_

"_Am not!"_

"_Are too!"_

_There's no telling how long this stimulating conversation would have lasted had Optimus not walked into the living room and seen them. "All right," he sighed. "What's the argument about this time?"_

"_How Bumblebee is so juvenile," Prowl answered._

"_I am not juvenile!" Bumblebee yelled, forcing Optimus to cover his sensitive audio sensors._

"_Yes you are," Prowl countered._

"_Am not!"_

"_Are too!"_

_Sensing that this could go on for a while Optimus hollered, "Shut up, both of you!" Seeing the stunned looks on their faceplates he felt just a hint of satisfaction as he continued speaking, albeit more calmly this time. "The two of you are both acting juvenile right now. You are friends and teammates. You shouldn't argue with your friends; if you that then you won't have any left."_

"_We understand," Prowl interrupted, desperate to escape Optimus's speech as soon as possible._

"_Yeah," Bumblebee nodded hastily. "In fact I think I'll go to my room and think about what you said."_

_Optimus barely had time to blink before the minibot transformed and zoomed away._

"_I need to mediate," Prowl said then he too disappeared._

_Optimus just shook his head in amusement and decided to retreat to his before they started at it again. Not noticing that his door was open a crack he walked into his room only to stop dead in his tracks when a bucket hit his cranial unit. Feeling something wet running down his arms he looked and saw pink paint. Opening his mouth he roared, "Bumblebee!"_

_A few seconds later Bumblebee cautiously poked his head around the door and said, "Yes, boss-bot?"_

_Instead of the blinding rage that had just overwhelmed him he felt a calmness descended upon him and he said, "Get out."_

_Bumblebee blinked and looked genuinely confused as he asked, "What do you mean?"_

"_I mean get out of this base and don't return."_

"_For how long?" Bumblebee sounded quiet._

"_Forever," Optimus replied._

_For just a second Optimus thought that Bumblebee was going to cry but the minibot put on a brave face and said, "All right; I'll go." Then he turned and began walking towards the front door._

"_Wiat," Optimus stepped forward to stop the minibot but Ratchet grabbed his wrist._

"_Let 'im cool off, Prime," the medic said gruffly. "In a day or two you can comm. him and apologize then."_

_Not caring about letting his friend cool off Bulkhead said, "Little buddy?"_

_Bumblebee pretended that he didn't hear Bulkhead and kept on walking. They heard the sound of the front door opening and closing then all was quiet._

* * *

><p>"How could I have done that?" Optimus whispered, horrified beyond belief. "I'm so sorry, Bumblebee."<p>

"It's okay," Bumblebee shrugged.

"How did you die?" Prowl wanted to know.

"I was attacked by the Decepticons not long after I left," Bumblebee answered. "I was pretty hurt and angry so I didn't comm. you. I think you can figure out what happened after that."

"We're sorry," Prowl apologized. "We really are."

"Still doesn't explain how we wound up in a simulation chamber," Ratchet pointed out with a grunt.

"You bots felt so guilty that, well, you eventually developed a glitch," Bumblebee explained. "Speaking of which I need to go. Talk to you later!" And with that he was gone. Again.

A/N: 3 reviews and don't forget to vote.


	7. The Truth Or Not The Truth?

Prisoners of the Mind

Chapter 6: The Truth Or Not The Truth?

When Sentinel walked into a room he expected a reaction. Whether it involved bots scampering for their workstations or even a bored, disinterested look after seeing who it was, there was still a reaction. But walking into a room and seeing four hopeful looks tossed his way only to turn to bitter disappointment when they realized who it was? Definitely new and very strange. He narrowed his optics at Optimus and asked, "Are you going to help rescue Ultra Magnus or not?"

Optimus didn't immediately answer but slowly said, "Is Bumblebee dead?"

Sentinel froze and said, "I already told you; Bumblebee isn't real, he never was."

"That's not what he said," Prowl was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed as he gazed evenly at Sentinel.

"What he said?" Sentinel was beginning to feel alarmed. There was no way that…

"When his ghost visited us," Bulkhead explained.

"Ghost?" alarm was rapidly taking over.

"Seems he died about three years ago," Ratchet grunted.

"Was he real, Sentinel?" Optimus asked.

For a minute Sentinel considered telling them the truth; like he had been urged to do so many times before. Instead, however, he decided to do things the way he always did; the easy way which involved telling bots whatever they wanted to hear. "Yes,' he replied. "Bumblebee was real but he died three years ago. The four of you were so overcome with grief and guilt that you developed a glitch. Ultra Magnus ordered me to bring you back here and place you in the simulation chamber until we could decide what to do with you."

"And you woke us up to deal with the Decepticons before we were expendable," Optimus finished.

"Yes," Sentinel said. "We can't meet their demands; I refuse to make deals with Decepticons. But I can't allow Ultra Magnus to die either. So will you help us rescue him, please?" he put just the right amount of pleading in his voice to make it seem like he hated having to ask for their help, which he did.

Optimus sighed heavily and reluctantly nodded. "We'll help."

"Good," Sentinel sounded grateful. "In that case come with me. I'll you everything that we have on the Decepticons." He walked out of the room, the other four Autobots following him.

* * *

><p>"Bumblebee!" Sentinel's booming voiced caused many bots to jump in surprise then to hurry off, fearfully looking for a place to hide. Sentinel paid them no attention but marched with a fierce determination across the room and stopped next to a certain bot who was sitting in front of the monitors. He crossed his arms and waited.<p>

As if he could feel the angry blue optics boring a hole in the back of his cranial unit, which he probably could, Bumblebee slowly tilted his head and looked up at Sentinel and smiled. "Hello, Sentinel. What brings you here?" his voice was calm as if he were discussing the weather.

"You visited Optimus and the others didn't you?"

"Whatever would make you think that?" Bumblebee did his best to look innocent but failed miserably.

"You know perfectly well t hat you saw them," Sentinel hissed. 'I specifically told you not to go anywhere near them. Why did you disobey me?"

"Since when I have ever listened to your orders?" Bumblebee asked jokingly then grew serious. "You were losing them. They were suspicious before you told them about Ultra Magnus but afterwards? They knew that you were lying to them about something else too. If they had kept dwelling on it they might have figured out the truth. But now that I've told them that I'm dead they have something else to think about. Plus they don't really have anything else left to lose now so they won't care if they live or die," he explained then leaned back in his chair and smiled once more at Sentinel.

To his cried the blue and orange bot valiantly resisted the urge to throttle Bumblebee and instead focused on something that the minibot had said. "They better not die," he growled. "We can't afford to lose all that research."

"Relax," Bumblebee told him. "They won't get off-lined; they have too much experience fighting the Decepticons. But even if they do then at least we'll know whether or not it was a success."

"True," Sentinel agreed thoughtfully. He had just reached the door when something occurred to him and he asked, "You're not planning to see them again are you?"

Bumblebee didn't answer, choosing instead to smile mysteriously and begin whistling.

Sentinel eyed him suspiciously then left, resolving to keep a close optic on the minibot. Not that it would do much good. If Bumblebee wanted to see Optimus again then Sentinel was smart enough to know that there was no way they could stop him.

* * *

><p>Ultra Magnus lay on his recharge berth, staring up at the ceiling. So far he had counted all of the tiles, all one hundred and thirty eight of them, and had figured out what would be the best color to paint the ceiling, cream with a brown trim. He had also decided that the room could use some serious re-decorating. He checked his internal chronometer which, surprisingly enough, they hadn't broken and discovered that it was almost time for lunch. He moved to sit at the table and waited for Blitzwing to arrive. To his astonishment he had actually started to like the triple-changer. So what if he was a Decepticon and obviously insane? Blitzwing had done nothing to harm Ultra Magnus and was pretty good company. The two of them had had some interesting conversations when Blitzwing brought him energon.<p>

The door opened but instead of Blitzwing Starscream walked in. "Hello, Ultra Magnus," he sneered. "We need to talk."

A/N: 3 reviews and don't forget to vote.


	8. Another Visit From A Ghost

Prisoners of the Mind

Chapter 7: Another Visit From A Ghost

"Is everyone ready?" Optimus asked, checking to make sure that his axe and grappling hook were working and in proper condition.

"Almost," Ratchet replied, his voice sounding muffled as he looked though his medical supplies for some to take with him. "No tellin what condition Ultra Magnus is in," he muttered.

"I'm ready," Prowl declared, twirling one of his many gold shurikens.

"That's good," Optimus said absent-mindedly. "Bulkhead?" when there was no response Optimus turned around. Bulkhead was just sitting, staring at his servos but didn't really seem to see it. "Bulkhead!" Optimus said sharply.

"Huh?" Bulkhead looked up then blinked, his blue optics focusing on them. "I'm ready, boss-bot," he said as he stood up.

"Are you all right?" Optimus asked gently, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?" the fake smile on Bulkhead's faceplate didn't fool any of them for a second.

"Oh I don't know," Optimus said, stepping forward. "Maybe because you just found out that your best friend died three years ago."

Bulkhead's faceplate crumpled, making Optimus fear that the big, green mech was going to cry. Thankfully, however, Bulkhead didn't but said, "I just can't believe that he's dead."

Optimus opened his mouth, ready to comfort Bulkhead but instead it remained open as he stared at the bot that had just walked into the room.

"Who's dead?" Bumblebee asked curiously then winced when both Prowl and Bulkhead shrieked. "Do you bots have to be that loud?" he complained.

"Oh it's just you," Prowl sighed in relief.

"Just me?" Bumblebee looked and sounded indignant.

"Why exactly is your ghost haunting us?" Ratchet asked bluntly, having decided to go ahead and get it all out.

"Oh but I'm not haunting you," Bumblebee said. "I am merely the representation of a virus that the real Bumblebee introduced to your systems the day before he faked his death."

"Faked his death?" Optimus straightened, hope once again peeking out cautiously.

"Yes," the…fake Bumblebee replied. "You see he learned that there was a diabolical plot in the Elite Guard to assassinate Ultra Magnus when he overheard two Decepticons discussing it. They saw him and gave chase. Fortunately he was able to outrun them and once he had done so began to consider his options. Not knowing which Autobots the Decepticons had been referring to he decided not to tell anyone about it, especially the four of you."

"Why not?" Bulkhead demanded. "Didn't he trust us?"

"Of course he did," Bumblebee looked offended. "But he didn't want you to get hurt so he waited until after the Elite Guard had left then he introduced me into your systems. The next day he staged an argument with Prowl, figuring that you, Optimus, would get so fed up that you would kick him out. When you did he left in a huff and faked his death."

"How?" Prowl asked, his logical processor already going over the information they had just been given to check for inconsistencies or a hint of falsehood.

"He yanked off one of his arms," the virus said proudly. "He left it in a mine that had collapsed so you couldn't look for his remains."

The Autobots exchanged glances then nodded imperceptibly at each other. "Where is he now?" Optimus asked, fear and hope warring with each other in his voice.

"He was captured by the Decepticons a few days ago," the virus answered. "He is being kept prisoner in the same room as Ultra Magnus." A datapad was handed to Optimus who accepted it, rather hesitantly. "This has their location on it." The minibot turned to go but stopped at the door and looked at the Autobots. "Don't tell Sentinel," he said. "I don't trust him; besides he would just think that you're crazy."

"We won't tell him anything," Optimus promised.

The virus smiled but it looked as if he were also fighting back tears. Waving, he left the room, leaving behind four suddenly very hopeful Autobots.

While Bulkhead immediately broke out in excited chatter about what he and Bumblebee were going to do once the latter had been rescued Optimus frowned and tried to ignore the feeling in the pit of his tanks that said something was wrong…

* * *

><p>Sentinel was not in a very good mood. Not that it was his fault; after all, how could one predict that one's boss would get kidnapped by the Decepticons? Had it been up to him there wouldn't even be a rescue effort but, unfortunately for him, the news of Ultra Magnus's disappearance had leaked out too fast for him to stop it. Which was why he had been forced to pull Optimus and the others out of the simulation chamber, disrupting year's worth of research much to the scientists' dismay. What he had really wanted to do was send Bumblebee in, alone to try and rescue Ultra Magnus but couldn't for two reasons. One, there was a chance that Bumblebee could die and while he didn't mind that Bumblebee was just a little too important to the research. Two, and the most important reason of all, he didn't trust the minibot. No one did really. After all, how could you trust a thief? The answer was simple; you couldn't. Suddenly his internal chronometer went off, startling him. Realizing that it was time to leave he got up, grumbling, and headed for the room where Optimus and the others were. They had a Magnus to save.<p>

A/N: 3 reviews and don't forget to vote.


	9. Rescue Mission Part 1

Prisoners of the Mind

Chapter 8: Rescue Mission

The quiet, Bumblebee decided, was not only unnatural but also very unnerving. During his illustrious and lucrative career as a thief and spy he had been forced to crawl through ventilation shafts, being as quiet as possible. He had spent hours at a time cooped up in a tiny space, listening to other bots talk about every day things or else spilling secrets that earned him a large amount of credits. Even now, when he lived at the Cybertron Research Facility there was always some sort of noise going on. Whether it was the sound of consoles beeping or the buzz of scientists as they discussed their experiments. More than likely it would be the sound of an explosion as Wheeljack and Perceptor blew up their latest experiment. But the point was; it was all noise of a sort. He hated silence. That, in his opinion, had been the worst thing about being in the simulation chamber. He had heard noise but it was muffled, nothing had been distinguishable. Silence had surrounded him, stifling him. He couldn't even begin to describe the relief he had felt when he woke up and had heard Cybertonian curses filling the room.

Suddenly he blinked and looked around. Without even realizing it he had reached the Decepticons base camp. Just up ahead he could see the building where Ultra Magnus was being held. Breaking into a run he quickly covered the distance, avoiding the cameras and Lugnut who was apparently the guard. Slipping into the building he quickly located Ultra Magnus, namely by Starscream's loud, nasal voice that was booming and could be heard throughout the halls.

"Your friends, the Autobots have refused to meet my demands," Starscream snarled.

"Good for them," Ultra Magnus said then asked, "What demands?"

"The release of the five Decepticons you captured several months ago," Starscream replied.

"But we didn't capture any," the Elite Guard leader protested.

"Yes you did," the Decepticon hissed. "And until they are returned I'm afraid you won't be able to leave."

Hearing Starscream's words Bumblebee mentally groaned. He had told Sentinel that it was a bad idea to keep the Decepticons. But had Sentinel listened to him? No the aft hadn't listened and look where they were now! Ultra Magnus had been kidnapped, Optimus and the others had been woken up, and now he was breaking into Decepticon headquarters just so he could help keep up a charade that he had spent the last three years building. In other words, all of his hard work over the last few days could have been avoided. Resolving to make Sentinel's life miserable for the next few weeks he waited until Starscream had gone then he dropped to the floor. He opened the door and entered the room, startling the big blue, black and white bot inside. "Hello," he said cheerfully.

"Um, hi?" Ultra Magnus both sounded and looked confused.

"I'm Bumblebee. I'm going to be your new roommate," Bumblebee said.

"But didn't you just…?" Ultra Magnus gestured towards the door.

"Come in through the door? Yes I did but you see I'm not really here."

Ultra Magnus blinked. "You're not here?" Bumblebee nodded. "But I can see you."

"What you think is me is actually a physical manifestation of your loneliness," Bumblebee explained.

"Huh?"

Bumblebee sighed and, finally giving up, said, "You're crazy."

Ultra Magnus opened his mouth as if to say something but, evidently thinking better of it, closed it again. The two of them sat there; just staring at each other. _You better hurry up, Sentinel_ Bumblebee though crossly. _There is a limit as to how long I can keep him entertained._ "Wanna play cards?" he asked brightly.

* * *

><p>Earlier Sentinel had been in a bad mood. Now, however? He was LIVID. There were no words in all of the universe that could adequately describe his anger. Bumblebee was gone; had last been seen exiting Optimus's quarters. Again. To make matters worse the four Autobots had been positively beaming ever since, practically vibrating with eagerness. They listened to Sentinel's instructions without a single word of complaint. They were quiet, efficient even as they made their way to where the Decepticon base was. Even Ratchet was smiling which, in Sentinel's opinion, was pretty freaky. Judging by how wide a berth they gave him the others seemed to think so as well. They conversed in low tones, taking great care that Sentinel didn't hear anything, serving to only further his suspicions.<p>

"There it is," Sentinel pointed. "Straight ahead."

"All right," Optimus smiled. "Let's go rescue them."

"Them?" Sentinel questioned, raising an optic ridge.

"I meant him," Optimus hastily corrected himself. "Let's go rescue Ultra Magnus."

Sentinel eyed him warily but followed him anyway.

A/N: 3 reviews and don't forget to vote.

I'm sorry this is so short but it's all I could do on the spur of the moment.


	10. Rescue Mission Part 2

Prisoners of the Mind

Chapter 9: Rescue Mission Part Two

Starscream was in his office when he suddenly got the feeling that something was wrong. Deciding that it couldn't hurt to check on things he commed Lugnut and received no response; "Lugnut!" but there was no answer. After several minutes of trying to garner a response from the big Decepticon he gave up and commed Blitzwing instead. "Blitzwing, if you don't answer me I'm going to dismantle you," he threatened.

"Vhat do you vant?" Blitzwing asked with a loud yawn.

"Go check on Lugnut," Starscream ordered.

"Vhy?" Blitzwing wanted to know.

"Because I've been trying to get in touch with him and he has yet to answer and because I'm your leader and I told you so!" Starscream's voice had been steadily rising and by the end of his sentence he was so loud that he almost shorted out Blitzwing's audio sensors.

The triple-changer winced and said, "Fine. I'll go check on him," then terminated the conversation.

Starscream scowled then went back to what he had been doing.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, outside, Prowl calmly removed his shuriken from Lugnut's neck and returned it to its proper place. "He's been taken care of for now," the ninja said.<p>

"That's good to know." Sentinel was quickly reminded of why Prowl had been chosen to participate in the experiments. Some of his former ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness was showing though. Sentinel was not the type of bot that scared easily but he had to admit; his first meeting with Prowl had greatly unnerved him. He shook his head to clear his processor of those thoughts and said, "Let's go."

They continued walking towards the base, being as quiet as possible. They had almost reached it when the door opened, light spilling onto the rocky ground. Ducking down, they hid behind the rocks, cautiously peeking out. They watched as Blitzwing closed the door then began to walk in their direction. "Lugnut," he called. "Lugnut, vhere are you? Starscream's ready to dismantle the two of us and I don't know about you but I don't vant to be dismantled. So please come out, please," he begged.

Out of the corner of his optic Sentinel could see the four Autobots exchange glances then nod. He mentally groaned as Ratchet stood up and fired his EMP at the Decepticon. A look of surprise crossed Blitzwing's faceplate before he fell to the ground with a heavy thud. "Idiots," Sentinel hissed. "Now they know that we're here."

"That was the point," Optimus whispered then stood up as well.

Sentinel could only groan once more as he followed them, wishing that he had listened to Bumblebee. Perhaps waking them up hadn't been the best course of action after all. So far the only thing that had been accomplished was that they had driven Sentinel crazy!

"Hey, Sentinel, aren't you coming?" Bulkhead yelled as he looked at the blue and orange bot lagging behind them.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Sentinel called.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee, it seem, was having just an interesting a night as Sentinel. Despite his age Ultra Magnus, it turned out, had no idea how to play cards. So Bumblebee took full advantage of that fact and won all of the credits that Ultra Magnus had had on him when he had gotten kidnapped. Then he had lost not one but two coats of paint to Bumblebee to be delivered after their release. Having grown bored of cards Bumblebee lay stretched out on the berth while Ultra Magnus sat at the table trying to play Solitaire and failing miserably at it. Bumblebee had found that sight far too painful to watch and so he had shuttered his optics.<p>

He had almost drifted into recharge when the sound of a loud thud could be heard from outside. He shot straight up and ignored Ultra Magnus who was asking what was wrong. Listening intently Bumblebee was soon able to make out Bulkhead's voice yelling something. Bumblebee got off of the berth and stood in the middle of the room, mentally going over his list of things that he needed to do. He relaxed ever so slightly when he realized that everything he had needed to do was already finished. All that remained to be done was rescue Ultra Magnus, avoid getting killed by the unhappy Decepticons, somehow convince Sentinel to tell the other Autobots the truth and get some rest. Piece of cake he thought to himself; piece of cake.

* * *

><p>Having heard the same sounds as Bumblebee Starscream was forced to come to one conclusion and one conclusion only; the Autobots were here. "How did they find my base?" he roared. "Oh, wait. They probably got the information from the processor of one of my clones." He powered up his weapons and headed towards the room where Ultra Magnus was being kept. "There's no way I'm going to let them take away my leverage," he muttered.<p>

"Aren't you in yet, Prowl?" an irate Ratchet demanded.

"Well if you would stop interrupting me then I would get done a whole lot sooner," Prowl snapped.

"Just hurry up," Optimus sighed.

Prowl continued trying to pick the lock, muttering under his breath about certain Autobots that were going to die a slow and painful death. Trying to make it seem as if time were actually moving Optimus gazed around the base in interest. The place was, unsurprisingly, bare. A few doors lined the hallways but the rest of the place was empty.

"I've almost got it," Prowl announced.

Seconds later the door opened and they peered inside. Sitting at the table was Ultra Magnus and standing in the middle of the room was Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee!" Bulkhead yelled and ran into the room, scooping the minibot up in his massive arms.

Ultra Magnus's mouth was hanging open. "Orion Pax?" he stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Optimus opened his mouth to answer but instead found himself unable to speak. A memory was playing in his processor; a memory that matched neither tale he had been told…

Realizing that Optimus wasn't going to say anything Prowl said, "We're here to rescue the two of you."

"Bet you're surprised to see that Bumblebee's still alive aren't you, Sentinel?" Bulkhead asked as he and Bumblebee walked out of the room.

"Surprised doesn't even begin to describe it," Sentinel growled, his optics shooting darts at Bumblebee who merely smiled at him cheekily.

"Sentinel," Ultra Magnus sounded calm. But not really calm; more like his voice was calm but something else bubbled underneath the surface. "When we get back we are going to have a very long talk."

"Yes, sir," Sentinel sighed reluctantly.

"I don't think that you're going to go anywhere," a voice down at the end of the hallway said.

"Of course Starscream would show up before we had a chance to leave," Optimus sighed.

"Prowl?" Starscream looked surprised. "What are you doing here? When you disappeared three years ago we all thought you were dead."

"What are you talking about?" Prowl asked in confusion.

"They must have done something screwy to you if you don't remember me," Starscream said. "Either way I'm not letting any of you leave…Bumblebee?"

"Hi, Starscream," Bumblebee waved cheerfully.

"Okay that's it. Who are you bots?" Ultra Magnus asked.

While the Autobots were distracted Starscream took advantage of the moment and fired at them before transforming and flying away.

The events of the next several minutes went by so fast that everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Optimus could only watch as Starscream's shot hit him directly above the spark chamber. As he fell to the floor he could hear muffled shouts then Bumblebee's faceplate appeared directly in his line of vision. "Don't worry, Optimus. Everything's going to be all right," the minibot assured the injured Autobot even as everything faded into black.

A/N: 3 reviews and don't forget to vote.


	11. Home Again Or Not?

Prisoners of the Mind

Chapter 10: Home Again...Or Not?

Once again Sentinel found himself looking for Bumblebee. Having a feeling that he already knew where the minibot was going to be Sentinel didn't waste time by checking the offices but went straight to the observation room. "I thought I would fine you here," he said, going to stand beside the minibot. When he received no answer he sighed heavily. "I know you're mad at me about happened but we didn't have a choice; you know that."

Bumblebee was silent for several minutes. When he finally spoke his voice was serious; the exact opposite of what it normally sounded like. "We did have a choice, Sentinel. We just made the wrong one, that's all."

"Well what did you want me to do, Bumblebee?"

"Tell them the truth!" Bumblebee spun around and faced Sentinel.

"Think about it for a minute, Bumblebee. How do you think Optimus would react if he found out that he's a murderer? Or that Prowl used to be a bounty hunter?"

"I suppose they wouldn't want to know that stuff," Bumblebee admitted.

"Of course not; which is exactly why we aren't going to tell them anything," Sentinel smiled and then he was gone; off to oversee another project.

Bumblebee watched him go then took one last look at the bots in the simulation chamber. "I'm sorry," he whispered sadly then turned and walked away.

* * *

><p>It was a beautiful day on Earth, Optimus decided. The sun was shining; the flowers were blooming… But, best of all, Bumblebee was back and they were all together again.<p>

THE END

A/N: 3 reviews.

I'm sorry that this chapter was so short but it's the epilogue; it's supposed to be short.

For any of you who don't understand this last chapter let me explain; after they rescued Ultra Magnus Sentinel had Optimus, Prowl, Ratchet, and Bulkhead put back in the simulation chamber despite Bumblebee's beliefs that they should be told the truth. So Optimus isn't really on Earth in the last little bit but he thinks he is.


End file.
